There were quite a few hobby shops in the early days. For me it was the Hobby Center, a medium sized shop that had most of what was needed. AND THEN there was the grand daddy of them all, Orange Blossom Hobbies. It was the largest hobby shop in this section of the country with a wholesale operation in the back. It had airplane, car, boat, and railroad departments. The owner died, then his son ran the business into the ground. It is now a drug store.

if your from NJ who doesn't remember Rich's Hobby Town. Fond memories getting my parents to drive us there, and flying on their 2 or 3 flying circles. Also had a boat pond. The nhobby shop was 99% control line. Being there was better than a kid in a candy shop back in the 50's.

 Being a Military Brat and never living anywhere for more than 9 months, I can't remember the names of the early hobby shops from Chicago to the North Jersey Shore ( 61 - 74 ). Sorry. 
I returned back to North Carolina in 1978 and started a great relationship with Hayes Hobby House in Fayetteville, N.C.. Been with them ever since and going back in 12 hours................

Great Site Y'all,
Cliff Henke

When I was a kid, mostly just the PX, wherever. Oh, there was a real hobby shop in Chattanooga, Clover Dale Hobby in Montgomery, and Hobby Craft (?) somewhere in Los Angeles. I used to know the name of the owner (Rudy ?), but no more. They had a Borgward, and drove it up the AL-Can to Alaska! They made a few kits...a 1/2a Delta R/C, "The Ghost" A-1, and Tosh Matsuda's "Zero" 1/2a gas free flight...they had good taste!

We used to have some good hobby shops here in the Seattle area, but they're all gone now. I sometimes go to Hobby Town in Parkland (they are not part of the chain, and got sued for the use of the name, but they had it first). On occasion, I'll stop into R/C Hobbies in Covington, but it's mostly an R/C car shop. Been to Tim's Hobbies in Everett once, but they didn't have anything I wanted (decent fuel being #1 priority). Been to Tammie's in Beaverton, OR, twice. Not terrible, but didn't buy anything. Best hobby shop I get to now is Eugene Toy & Hobby, but I only get there in May, for the NW CL Regionals. They only carry SIG fuel, which is ok, but not my usual stuff. It does run different. Most everything comes by USPS or UPS now, after buying online. It's convenient, but it's just not the same. I'm cleaning up the shop and finding unopened boxes...!  Steve
 

I just had to get in on this thread. I saw my first G-line model airplane in 1944. Then I saw my first engine powered model airplane in 1945 being flown at the fairgrounds in Reidsville, NC and I was hooked from that moment on. We had a small but pretty well equipped model shop that was started by a returning veteran of WWII. I started buying balsa wood there in early 45 and at the same time I got a job at the grocery store next door selling pop corn from a street side popping machine. Every penny I got was spent at the model shop. I purchased my first engine there which was a Rogers at the tender age of 12. I just about smoked my parents out of the house breaking the engine in down in the basement. That was a great little hobby shop that specialized in nothing but model airplane stuff. The veteran who opened the shop was a returning veteran highly decorated for his heroics. Not only did he run the hobby shop, but was my Scout Master as well. Life did not serve him well as he carried many scars from the war and his life ended at an early age, but he and his model hobby shop is still remembered to this day by many I'm sure including myself. God bless our veterans.

Thanks for sharing your story....WOW! "G LINE MODELS IN 44!"

Has anyone mentioned City Cycle in Paducah, Ky.? About the same time as the Humbler (Shark 45) came out....

The first one was Don's Hobby Shop in Menlo Park, CA. Then graduated to J&M Hobby shop in San Carlos. They had everything a guy could want and if by chance they didn't, the owner , Joe White would get it quick. 

Good old fashioned hobby shops have gone the way of the model airplane hobby in general:

Mail-order...foam...electrics...and Chinese RC imports.

<sigh>...I miss the Old Days.

Here's one from England: back in the early 1950s in Aldershot ('Home of the British Army'), in a little side street that linked the two main shopping streets of the town, was a TINY place that my father called 'Jean Standing's', which was mysterious because the name painted on the fascia was E STANDING: it wasn't until I was about nine that I heard the name Eugene, and the mystery was solved.  Gene Standing's model shop was a classic: there was hardly room for more than a couple of people in front of the counter, because the whole place was crammed with every kind of modelling merchandise you could imagine - aircraft and boat kits, a huge rack of balsa, another of dopes and enamels, shelves of accessories like wheels, props (including the only example I've ever seen of an 'Elmer' constant-speed feathering prop.) and, under the glass top of the counter, an array of English diesel engines, both aero and marine - ED, Mills, Amco, Elfin, Allbon, FROG - all diesels, of course, except the FROG 500.
There was a back room, and it was in there that second-hand engines would be test-run by prospective purchasers to see if they were worth buying.  Enter that place on a Saturday afternoon, as I usually did, and you found it thick with diesel exhaust fumes - the shop may have been tiny, but you could hardly see across it, let alone breathe: and of course, when an engine was running, even a little Mills .75 - the most civilised model aero engine in the known universe - you couldn't make yourself heard, either.  For an aeromodelling-mad kid in the '50s, it was Paradise, pure and simple.

All the best.
John

I had never seen anything other than a plastic RTF Cox offering.  Most of my friends early '60s had one but never knew anyone who ever flew one.

Visiting Seattle and the downtown Bon Marche department store had a LARGE hobby shop up on the 4th floor.  Display cases with scale DC-3 (CL) and a large speed model on it's dolly and I think a Dynajet speed model.  Lots of other airplanes, engines, etc. which I never knew existed.  I was 12 and totally mesmerized.  Bought my first model magazine - the 1965 American Modeler featuring the '64 Dallas Nats writeup.  I wore that thing out, reading so much.

We were on our way to join my dad overseas at Clark AB in the Philippines.  They had a hobby shop on base with a few Foxes and many OS and Enya motors.  There was also an area in the rear of the shop for the airmen to build models.  It had only screens in the windows so you got 3-way ventilation year 'round.  Silk and Aerogloss seemed to be the dominant finishing method.

I finally got trained on a Cox PT-19 the built a Ringmaster/McCoy 35; Jr Nobler/Fox 19 and a Minnie Mambo/Cox .049.  Flew them all.

Wing's Hobby Shop, Lakewood Ohio.  The article on the business closing in Model Aviation was pretty accurate. 

I used to bike down on first my 1-speed, and later my 10-speed (about 1 1/2 miles from home), eventually driving (although parking was always difficult) for whatever suited my interests.  Model airplanes, Lionel trains, D&D... Always good people.

Then college, no time for fun and when I became interested again, and had time and money, the selection dwindled to trains, some books, and building materials with some toys thrown in for good measure.  Now it is 2 hours to visit my parents, so I hadn't been there in years.  I remember there were plywood shelves of model airplanes in the back of the store.  Stacks of kits, materials, and supplies.  The turn over was pretty quick too. 

I only had a couple 1/2a planes to call mine, both built with my parents.  (I still have them too, and don't fly them for fear of breaking them...quite unlike my recent builds) My parents flew cl too, and taught my older brothers and I to fly.  Dad flew combat and sport, Mom sport.  Only Dad ever competed. 

Also Hopkins airport had the flying circles, which are now part of the long runway.

Phil

I know it has been years since a post but I just discovered this thread. The first hobby shop I ever went to is Branford Hobbies in Branford Connecticut which I saw and talked my mom into stopping in 1964 when I was 7 years old. I was struck by all the airplane models but also by a large N Scale train layout the owner had in the front. The owners name was Frank and him and my mom started talking while I wandered around checking things out they had the old conversation where the owner Frank said excuse me ma'am you look very familiar. My mom introduced herself and said you also look familiar. After talking for a while it turned out that they both had worked for the A.C. Gilbert company in New Haven CT in the very early 1950's. Frank was a model maker and my mom was a secretary who of course had a different last name after marrying my dad. After that it was always easier to get mom to stop by when I said I have to get something and you can talk to Frank. His store is still open owned now by his son Mark ( Frank left us in 1997 I believe) and I stopped in to see Mark last night. But his store was over 20 miles away and when I was struggling to fly my Cox RTF's a new store opened in my hometown of Clinton, CT. It was a very small store called Dave's Hobbies. It was owned by a local guy who drove a tanker truck for Esso in the evenings. He had kits wood dope and glue and also engines and all the accessories for me to build my first "real" controlline airplane. It was a Sterling Beginers Spitfire with a Cox Babe Bee for power. I flew and busted and rebuilt that plane so many times that it ended up being more glue than wood. Dave also had a group that flew controlline at the local school field and me and my buddy Walt (who I still fly with today) would take our planes on our bicycles and fly with the big guys who all had Fox 35's and even some OS and Enya 35 size planes. But I think the real thing that got me addicted to this hobby was watching a local gentleman named Len Minnick who flew a Sterlin Skylark silk and doped res and black with Fox power do the complete stunt pattern. it was like wow there is way more to this than flying in circles and a loop or 2 thrown in. Branford hobbies is still there and I now live only 5 miles away but Dave's was razed to become a driveway fro the local tavern that was next door. Brings back some very fond memories of my early teen years.

I just found this old thread as well. The closest real hobby shop to me was about a 15 minute bus ride (or an hour walk) from my Philly neighborhood to Upper Darby Pa. (Danny Banjock grew up there BTW) The name of the shop was Todd's Hobbies. Todd's had everything from plastic kits to airplane stuff, trains and model boat gear. Typically I'd buy a Scientific "hollow log" for my BabyBee 049. Naturally you needed "sanding sealer,dope,thinner,brushes and then  a pint of Cox fuel.
 When not building flying models I enjoyed assembling the plastic car kits that we all grew up on. Todd's would have a yearly model car contest for the kids. I was proud to see my car on display in the shop window. Sometime around 1960 at the very beginning of the Go Kart craze my pals and I strolled into the shop to see 3 brand new racing karts for sale. We went totally nuts!!! At $180 dollars each they were way out of a kid's paper route money. Anyway,all of this brings back some great memories.......Skip

When: early to mid 1970's
Why: Parts for my AFX slot cars and the joy of watching the model train displays.
Where: Eric Fuchs Model Railroad Store, Tremont St, Downtown Boston, MA.
I first took the subway system to get to this shop for my slotcar parts. The model trains pulled me in, so one Christmas or a birthday (early February, so they blur together "in the fog of time"), I got an N scale loop of track with a loco and a couple cars. I had been building AMT/Revell plastic models as a smaller kid. The slotcars came at about the same time, followed by the trains.
Two or three times in the mid to late 70's my mom got me Cox airplanes for Christmas. Fuel was expensive, and hard to get. Fuchs had it! Over time, I'd ride my bicycle downtown for fuel. While the slotcars and trains dominated my attention in my early childhood...the string of Cox airplanes appeared under the tree, or for birthdays in my early teens. I had the Cessna, each of the "Wings" series, and an electric Spitfire. The Spit flat stunk after the internal battery stopped taking a charge!
Anyway, back to Fuch's. He had all sorts of balsa kits too! I took one of my engines down there so one of the counter dudes showed me a CG Stuntman 23. With kit and Ambroid in my backpack, I pedalled home to start my first balsa CL kit. Two more trips yielded dope...clear to seal, bright red for the entire finish. My mom pitted for me. Then a Fuch's-bought Lil Satan hung from the lines. A few years later I joined the Army, and basically left the hobby for the next 30+ years (there was a short period where I tried to stay "in the hobby" while on active duty, but my platoon sergeant didn't like dope in my wall locker).
My mom sees this hobby as a way for me to return to a simpler time in life. When I tried to bring my boys into the field a couple of years ago, she was visiting and got to watch all three of "her boys" fly...that is, me and my sons. I think at one point she was actually crying! Unfortunately, the hobby didn't stick with the boys...but it is keeping me young. I'm having a ball building and flying again. The smell of the fuel and dope snatches me back 40 years, and I'm so dug into the hobby that the storage closet (all 12'x5.75') in the garage is now being converted into my air conditioned hobby room!

Wykagyl Hobby - just outside of New Rochelle, NY heading toward Tuckahoe. 
Worked there in 1951-1953. Always sorted the incoming Firebaby kits (aka ARF's ;-) and noted which engine was included. I bought the ones with the WASP engines. 

Westchester Hobbies, White Plains,NY - customer there from 1953 - 1955. then learned about hot rods and full scale airplanes.

Anybody remember these Hobby Shops??? Maybe Bob Zambelli??,  Walter Umland??

Roger Vizioli
 

I just discovered this thread and it got me going a bit!  My first hobby shop was the Dog House in Livingston , N.J.  Although it was primarily a pet store he had nicely stocked airplane section. It had everything needed to get a 10 year old dreaming of owning a real airplane and drooling on the glass display counters! This place and the library were within easy walking distance. I would go to the library and read all of the M.A.N. magazines and then stop into DH to make sure the plane I wanted was in stock. Of course I wanted the McCoy .60 but decided to ask for the Stuntmaster and OK .074. That got me started on the road to being a flying modeler. Success did not come easily but after trashing a couple of planes I got the hang of it.
  Some time later I discovered Rich's Hobbytown. That place really set the hook! Not only did he have 3 circles, there was a tether car track and a tethered boat pond where guys would run their home made hydroplanes with home made engines in them! Total sensory overload. There was also a hot dog shack right next door! The best part though were the people I met there. I got to witness the possibilities of the models from folks who really knew what they were doing. John D'Ottavio and Larry Scarinzi inspired many of us and still do!  Got more but......      TS

STANDARD HOBBIES - Lodi and Stockton, California. The owner was a control line and r/c flier. He opened in 1970 and retired about 2000. I first went in when I was just a baby and would often stare at the kits after kits after kits. There was a stack of 1/2a kits, a stack of profile kits, then a couple built ups kits, like the SIG CHIPMUNK and the GIESEKE NOBLER. The rest of the kits were r/c, but that was okay too.

The ceiling was filled with enough models to spend a week staring at. I'd even get the discard catalogs and pretend I was flying all the planes.  That even became my first job, working at STANDARD HOBBIES till my twenties when Lanny retired and sold it all. Did I mention he was my dad?

During college I ventured into SHELDON HOBBIES in San Jose. My roommate showed up with a box of .049s from his grandpa and we grabbed a little kit at Sheldon's when it was still a true model shop (it's mostly cars and weird stuff now but still has some good hardware). That was my first time grabbing a handle since I was 5 and my first time having no trouble at all flying.

Now I enjoy R/C COUNTRY in Sacramento. R/C Country is a true hobby shop and yes it's still there. His control line section is adequate, but his rows of hardware are fantastic. Great employees who all fly (r/c) and know how to build.

Hobby Haven, Visalia,Ca had a small slot car track also. Had tons of Cox planes hanging on the ceiling. We lived in a very small town Three Rivers,Ca and my Mom would go once a month to Visalia,Ca to shop. She would drop me off at the hobby shop with a bunch of quarters to run my slot cars. Got my first "big" kit a Goldberg Shoestring there. I was given a McCoy 35 red head and flew that plane with the McCoy. Later on in the late 70s it was the best of the best T&A Hobby Shop in North Hollwood,Ca ? Tony And Addie Nacarato, stuff everywhere, and seems they were always building something in the shop. Tons of planes hanging from the ceiling. Later I would drive from Kingsburg,Ca to T&A once in while to get stuff. Fortunate now Medford,Oregon has a hobby shop. Al's' bicycle and hobby. Half Bicycles and half hobby. The local R/C club actually has lots of people that build kits and scratch build so lots of stuff in the local hobby shop. Hardware, fuel, lots of Balsa wood, etc, Brodak ,Sig dope, Props, good people. Also Eugene,Or Toys and Hobbies has lots of stuff.Eugene toy and Hobbies used to bring a U Haul truck to the Northwest Regionals contest and sell C/L Stuff on site.

Marshall’s Hobby Shop Austin Tx.  Castor oil and dope fragrance in the air.  Mike Krizan

Hobby Fair on the northwest side of Indy. Cut grass to earn money to buy airplanes and engines. Then Westside hobbies as Hobby Fair closed

Geneva and Elinor's Hobby Shop, Los Banos, California--a small farming community in the middle of the Central Valley--1964.  These ladies sold and serviced Schwinn bikes, and stocked a very complete inventory of free flight and control line models and accessories.  But they were much, much more than mere merchants--
When you walked through the door, Geneva would most likely be pulling on a wrench on someone's bent Sting Ray, and Elinor was around back in "The Model Room."  "The Model room" . . . where the ladies had set up level tables covered in cork board where they would help their young customers, patiently and step- by- step, through the building process, from unwrapping the box through mounting the engine, tank and wheels.

Then on Sunday morning, they'd--both of them, driving their '61 Buick the called "Black Beauty," meet the new pilot at the wide open high school field and test fly the new airplane, then teach the cadet to earn his--or her-- wings--sometimes without even the almost obligatory, "what the heck am I doing?" crash.  Geneva, who stood about 4'11," would crank up the redhead McCoy .19 on the front of their all-forest green Ringmaster, get it into the air, and call the trainee out to hold hi--my--hand on the red plastic "hot rock" control handle until trainee had the feel.  Elinor would take pictures on her old Brownie, and I still have pictures of me after my first landing.

But more than the building and flying, the learning to love the smell of castor oil and to tolerate the sharp smell of fresh butyrate--here's what really set these two lovely girls apart:  They taught a bunch of us youngsters about responsible credit.  They'd sell you a model, an engine, finishing and flying products and gear, and they'd allow you the use of their model room, and all their experience and expertise--all at $2.00 down, and $2.00 a week.  You had to make payments by every Friday, and if you missed a week, you couldn't build until you caught up--no interest, no penalties.  But the finished model stayed in the shop until you paid up.

These girls had serious cajones.  They settled in a small, conservative farming community in the 1950's--lived together, drove Harleys in their spare time, and made no excuses for their, let's say "unconventional" lifestyle.

Roll forward to 1980--My brother and I enlisted my wife to launch our Voodo and Spectrum, respectively, out at the high school.  Elinor was not in town that weekend.  Geneva heard the unmuffled Fox .36 x, and came out to watch the (pretty amateur) combat--really more like rat racing . . .

Geneva was pretty impressed with the consistency of the run with the pen bladder setup on my Voodoo.  she lamented her inability to handle the dizziness she expeienced as she'd aged, but speculated that with the way the Voodoo behaved with that engine, why would she need to circle?  So I replaced the 60' lines with my never-before-used 70' "Perfect" .018 seven strands.  My brother cranked up the Voodoo, I got it in the air, and Geneva jogged out, took the handle, and spent the next three minutes on loops, eights, and outside loops.  she only went around three, maybe four times.  When I rolled up the lines, there was only one twist.  Geneva always kept track of her loops vs. outside loops.

These ladies sdeserve a plaque.

Al Whitehurst

In the 1970's the hobby shop on base, at Naval Air Station Memphis, "NAS Memphis" in Millington TN always dad a great selection of control line models and engines. Same with balsa and hardware for scratch building.  Great prices AND no sales tax. And right outside was the flying circle. Just don't try flying with 70 foot lines.  A certain tree got a bit too large for that.  But there was a nice, 6 foot diameter concrete pad in the center. 

Moro-Craft in Edmonton, Alberta.
1/24&HO slot car tracks and all kinds of model airplane supplies but not much that was really modern for the day. (Early ‘70s)
R&M Hobbies which had awesome quality balsa and locally brewed fuel. They always had a really good selection of modern engines, kits and hardware.
Another really good shop was Northern Hobbies but I never went there very often since it was quite a ways across the city for me to get to.
Later another good hobby shop called Sunflight Hobbies opened. It too was pretty good.
Of course most of the owners and staff in all these shops were model builders themselves.

All are long gone and we now have Great Hobbies and Wholesale Hobbies both of which have helpful staff but not much for controlline. They both are generous with gift card donations for our annual contest.